SAD locks up food controller office in Cumilla over alleged irregularities in OMS dealer appointments
The protest was triggered by claims that appointments were being made in exchange for bribes
Leaders and activists of Student Against Discrimination's Lalmai upazila unit locked the office of the upazila controller of food yesterday (30 June) over allegations of corruption in the appointment of Open Market Sale (OMS) dealers.
The protest was triggered by claims that appointments were being made in exchange for bribes.
"The office keys have been returned, but the lock was not removed during office hours today. The office remained closed for the day. Operations will resume tomorrow morning," Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Himadri Khisa told The Business Standard today (1 July).
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She also said, "We have temporarily resolved the issue through discussions with both the food official and the student leaders."
The UNO added that the student leaders also submitted formal complaints to the district food officer and the deputy commissioner. "Whether any misconduct occurred will be determined through a proper investigation."
According to local sources, yesterday morning, following the lottery-based appointment of OMS dealers for Bhuloin Dakshin, Bagmara Dakshin, and Perul Uttar unions, the applicant from Bagmara union, Noman Hossain, the SAD convener of the Lalmai upazila, was excluded due to documentation issues and the dealer location being too far.
Later that afternoon, student leaders locked the office of the upazila controller of food, demanding a new dealer appointment process and legal action against the concerned official.
Noman alleged that although several political parties and SAD submitted proper documents for the OMS dealership on 19 June, Food Controller Rajib Kumar Dey appointed candidates from a specific group in exchange for money.
"The lottery should have been held publicly among interested and eligible candidates, but instead, it was done behind closed doors, allowing for manipulation and bribes," said Noman.
Food Control Officer Rajib Kumar Dey, however, denied the allegations.
He claimed that out of the three applicants for the Bagmara bazar dealership, one had incomplete documents. "Of the remaining two, Noman's application was rejected due to financial instability and because his proposed sales area was outside the designated market zone."
